"Waves" Goes the Wrong Direction in Racial Depiction, Despite Its Intent and Beauty
Spoiler Warning

On the eve of leaving Puerto Rico, two childhood friends spend one last night together inside a cramped living room, circling around their unspoken fears and desires. Through laughter, arguments, and silence, they wrestle with the weight of migration, identity, and the ache of staying behind. Diaspora is a raw, intimate chamber piece about friendship on the verge of loss, and the impossible choice between leaving home or being left by it.
Spoiler Warning
Lee Daniels’s Billie Holiday biopic The United States vs. Billie Holiday was released on February 26th, 2021, and my immediate reaction to it was one of discomfort.
While the film didn’t hit me as emotionally as I wanted it to, I still enjoyed it. I simply wish there was a little more, particularly with the world building.
I’m still trying to comprehend the psychological and moral implications of their fascination with each other, or why their almost written-in-the-stars depth of connection makes so much sense.
This short film was an overall creative success.